How to KNOW when a tube fails in your amplifier | A Tube Testing Overview and Review | Tony Mckenzie
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- Find out how to spot damage to a tube easily... and even select tubes that have been overheated. Ever been bothered about Power Tube failure in your amp? Here's a great example of one that failed while I watched it! Short analysis of JJ tubes too.
This video is developed to help guys who are not experts on tubes in a tube amplifier. It's a simple no nonsense video with some very surprising results as you will see from the tests carried out... some of the conclusions could make you think VERY carefully about which brand of tubes you buy and may even save your amp from catastrophe.
If you like this video then hop over to www.tonymckenzi... where there are loads of other stuff for guitarists including reviews, guitars, amps and much more, or simply visit my UA-cam channel at / tonymckenziecom and please subscribe and ring the bell.
(c) A B Mckenzie and tonymckenzie.com 2015
All Rights Reserved. All Trade Marks Acknowledged
Tubes fail because they dont get the right Anode and Cathode resistor values. I dont know how that modern tubetester work, but we need to measure some voltages and currents to know.
That Orange tester is supposed (or was) to test tubes but I found a few anomalies with it, so compared to the old tube testers it's IMO less accurate. Thanks for the post and for watching.
Not sure why 36 people have disliked this video, its just solid information laid out simply by a very polite man what is there to dislike about it, keep em coming Tony
That's called the internet Harry :) they don't need a reason and simply (often) hide behind silly internet names. Thanks for that support - its worth far more than the 36 thumbs down boys by far. Thanks for watching.
If I am to be honest the information is great but honestly you did repeat things over and over and over again. Also I believe that you may be giving some novices some bad information as you may have been lucky that your tube burned on the logo however what if another side did on a novice's amp and they look at the logo and think all is well...
I think that what is most likely going on is that the faulty tube is not reading as such at lower current readings as they would get in the tester where it will show a pass/fail state as opposed to putting the tube in your amp and cranking it up. Hence why you can test your tube 3 times and just handle it like it's no big deal whereas if you were playing for the same time lapsed for testing the tube would be much hotter. It would be interesting to heat up the tube somehow and then test it when it is in a failed state. This would also show why the value dropped from 9 to 7 the longer it was having voltage applied to it.
Also, although it would seem less likely, it could be your amp which killed the tube. If all 4 were new when placed in the amp and they don't have much use on them and it blew then you are either looking at just a bad tube or the amp did something on that particular tube and I don't know enough about tube amps to know if there are any tests you could do to check that.
So yes there was some good information about how testers could give false positives and things that you can do to visually inspect the tubes however your delivery was kind of sparse and repeated quite a bit. I'm not going to give a - on this video and will give it a + but there are more reasons than just web morons.
Making videos is not easy as some might think. I NEVER work to a script and record what comes out, but some videos are long and I might well repeat sometimes. My information is from what I find, nothing more and nothing less. It is intended as a document of experience for the products I buy and check or test or review and nothing else. But I understand your point no problem.
The tube actually DID fail again later at about the 11th or 12th test when it was hotter from testing. I felt that was actually a shortcoming of the tester more than anything else really. I do agree that it might fail earlier in a real amp of course and they get much hotter, but I would NEVER put that tube back in any of my amps because I watched it burn. Its interesting though that the tester took so long to pick that up.
My amp is working perfectly and has done since even before this video. Changing out the tubes solved it and I have used the amp for a good while since. The biasing seems fine too and I did a cursory check around the big resistors etc.
I thought the video overall was reasonable... and about as good as you can get from the Orange 'tube tester' that is really a little less than it's name suggests. But thanks for the input and for taking the time to watch it.
Probably because he handled the tubes with bare hands
Like Mr Kitty here Harry, sometimes they like to just comment over what others did. Pity they don't make videos to show us how its done ;-)
He sounds like Paul McCartney 😂
It's just the bank account I'm missing :)
Where's the mop-top Tony?! Love your videos btw. X
Ha... it walked away one day when I was not looking :) it all started when I went to college and 'had to' pass the exams and all that stuff :) by the time I was about 34 the 'mop' had migrated to a Phil Collins look. Indeed, in my mid 30's I was told many times that I looked exactly like Phil Collins - but again without the money! Thanks for watching.
Please don’t take me wrong. I’m a huge Beatles fan. But let’s be honest. The difference between Tony and Sir Paul, is that Tony is a nice guy!
Ha... classic and correct. You missed just one other thing... the Liverpudlian has a rather bigger bank account than me :)
how many bad tubes do you need before you understand that nos sounds better and lasts longer? stop wasting your time on selected chinese crap like t.a.d and mesa and get the real deal. my amps works on daily basis on live gigs and i use nos so i won't have to swap tubes every few months and worry about defects.
Well that's a matter of opinion and experience with whatever tubes you buy? Surely? Since 1971 I have had just one tube actually fail. That tube was a JJ that lit up like a light bulb and thankfully I flipped the amp off immediately as I was right there in front of it. here is a lot to be said about NOS tubes of course. But for me having bought the selected and premium burned in matched sets from tubeampdoctor.com to be honest I would not spend easily double for a tube that to my ears sounds pretty much like the ones I buy. Many might disagree and that's OK I get that. But it's all about reliability, quality and longevity PLUS the tone - but I reckon there are many guys that would go my route (or far worse and buy those rubbish tubes that are out there) where the costs are involved today and maybe they don't hear a difference either? This is a good post because it does highlight some of the issues out there today when you NEED to buy replacement tubes... thanks for that post and for watching.
tube failure goes in two directions amp induced tube failure and tube induced tube failure if it happens again in the same spot its probably amp induced
Good post and thanks for that info, and for watching.
That awkward laugh though...... in all seriousness thanks for the informative vid!
Intentional of course :) Thanks for watching and stay safe.
Is that Keith Richards on your shirt Tony? Great shirt!!
Brilliant... I just knew someone would see Keith on there :) Made me smile! Thanks.
I was looking to buy a tube tester but I see this is no longer sold. What are people using to test tubes these days?
They are out there but often old stuff. However there is a tester kit you can buy! Here take a look: www.dos4ever.com/uTracer3/uTracer3_pag0.html very good gear... thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Thank you for the info! I didn't get notified buy I'm glad I clicked on your video again.
I was looking for something that was put together. I guess an emissions tester would not work like the B&K 606? I only need it for EL34 & 12ax7.
Could it be the Amp has something wrong on that tube socket ? And btw i have never had a tube fail in 30 years but just had a tube fail -pulled it and the glass had cracked from the heat -and guess what- it is a JJ
That is possible... except that I changed the tubes and no problem since and look at the date of this review... so I think it was tubes. I never had a tube fail either in well... forever! but like you, there it was... It glowed like a Christmas tree lamp. Styay safe!
did you bias anything ?
did you bias check the tubes one by one from the pins
to make sure that are matched ?
maybe that tube was overbiased in your amp that's why it overheated
and maybe is good as the tester says
+John Sfixton I used a bias master from TAD which usually shows it all up one way or another... I show that here: ua-cam.com/video/mzehOguTQMg/v-deo.html biasing a 1987x Marshall head. It could have been anything I guess but when that tube 'went' it lit the room hence I just had enough time to power off. I did make it fail after repeated tests though and if the tube was OK then it should not have failed. I would not dare to put it back in the amp...
those testers are 350 quid !!
I thought they stopped making them... but I could be wrong! Thanks and stay safe.
I have a question...can an amp that came with EL34 Power Tubes also use 6L6 tubes? Will changing from EL34 to 6L6 damage the amp?
You have to change things... If I remember correctly some resistors etc. and watch that bias.. but there are many amps that can do that inc. Mesa... thanks for watching.
Dislikes?G****** haters.excellent video sir.VERY informative.thank you!
Thank you Rick... appreciated and thanks for watching.
This is all kind of new to me but I bet if the tester had an extended testing mode, the #3 would reveal itself, nevertheless thank you for a good lesson in amp tubes 👍
Sadly no extended tester here :( and #3 was bad... thanks for wathcing.
background styles + shirt = WTF? awesome . put a little metal in your life haha.
Simple really... in the studio there are now 'strip down' tables etc. and in this spare room there are... but there is a bulldog in there that I have to watch for... but she sometimes leaves me to it :) While that room looks sort of 'English' I guess with figures given to the wife from people that made them for her, to me it's just another room. Anyway I like my shirts :) and I like the metal stuff. I guess Yng could be called metal right? And I've been listening to him since the early 80's :). In any case I'll cut the cackle and thanks for watching. Classic!
Old video but would you have an idea for my Peavey Windsor head motorboating? Thx
That could be many things.... but if that was me I would work through the preamp tubes exchanging one at a time from the last in line towards the first. like 5, 4, 3, etc. If the motorboating stops when you pull a tube then if its not the tube it could well be something in that section of the amp. But don't tamper inside if you're not qualified... yep check the preamp tubes FIRST. Thanks for watching...
I had a El 84 groove tube that was probably used for maybe 30 minutes in 2 years and it went bad so that was cool
I think some EL84's are seemingly more prone to the failings... somehow... thanks for watching.
JJ Electroninc make IMO the best sounding tubes in the business. So you got a bad tube in your amp, so what? I can't begin to tell you how many bad ones I've seen in other tubes. It's all just part of the life of tubes, no big deal. Sonically, JJ tubes are superb!
+Moshe Alvarez I understand your point for sure. But JJ are honestly the ONLY tube brand that I have ever had that have failed. When I buy the selected stuff (like tube amp doctor ) I don't get the problem, in this instance it was JJ and that was how it went for me... I was so lucky that I was just standing there as it popped. I'm not saying that TAD tubes are 'better' - its likely they come from the same place, its just that the selected stuff has been through all the rigorous selecting and testing that makes the real difference in reliability I think. Thanks for the comments... and for watching.
Yes sir, you're very welcome. I'm sorry if my comment came out as harsh. After reading it back, it sounded a bit harsh so for that, I'm very sorry
+Moshe Alvarez No problem and I did not read it as such... happy new year
Thank you very much, sir. Happy new year to you!
jj's suck. I tried them twice and they failed on me, only after a week. never again with those junk tubes. especially dealing with that as hole who runs the jj tubes on the west coast . Oregon I believe
What going on with that JJ Tony,.... I,ve found you usually get some kind of warning before your power tubes take the knock...like a drop in the level or microphonics... and certainly not after only 7 hours use.
I,ve tried JJ,s for a few days in my DSL 100 when the winged C,s(they where stock in it when I got it in 2001) started acting up after 10 years,and found them to be to kind of glassy or thin and brighter sounding....I realy did,nt like them. So I swapped them out for a set of Mesa,s... and got an other set of winged C,s...
I think these day you do get what you pay for so I would honestly advise anyone to pay the extra for a quality valve....
brianis1000 Yes it did drop the volume shortly before the glow... that's how we immediately looked at the amp... then it glowed very bright but by then I was turning off the amp. I think you're exactly right on the pricing, but it can be hard to 'know' what you're buying sometimes... pricing by itself may be misleading if you find a greedy seller (if you know what I mean). NoyzBoyZ3 has had trouble with Mesa tubes... although I have to say I never had myself. Obviously it could be just a one off failed tube... but I don't know... somehow it does tar my view of more JJ tubes. For me I really don't want to risk an amp and only bought those JJ KT77's from Karltone because they were in the amp originally and are a bit uncommon to find it seems. JJ seem to be everywhere. You made a good point of advice I think. Thanks for watching.
Hi! Im recently having a problem with my fender Deville
So basically what happens is that when im playing with my volume loud enough to get that overdrive tone (around like 10:30 - 11:00 o'clock) out of the amp the fuse blows after a while of playing and honestly I don't know if it might be that one of the tubes is getting bad or if is a major problem in the amp
I noticed that when I play certain notes the amp tends to make a rattling sound followed by some weird "electric-like" sounds pitched to the notes I'm playing, does anyone know what it might be?
Thanks for reading and please excuse my bad english.
Check those power tubes and maybe the bias...
A tube is probably microphonic
I use JJ's and find them pretty good except one thing. Look at the pins of your used KT77's and notice the Black ring around them, probably due to dissimilar metal to metal contact with the valve holder. I have a theory and it's only a theory, that this build up of dark oxidation allows the bias to cease controlling the valve which, for want of a better term, let's itself go. This problem would, I guess, only be a problem with amplifiers using fixed bias and having checked up on the Diezel Hagen, find it does indeed use fixed bias. Having had JJ's 'let go' a couple of times,, I clean off the dark band around the pin with fine sand paper and then apply a thin coating of solder where the band was. Obviously this has to be a fine coating or whet so that the valve plugs back in unhindered into its socket. It's only the one Control Grid Pin that needs to be done and worth doing on new valves before using them for the first time. The reason for the lower emission of V3 is because it has turned hard on and sucked the life out of the cathode material. Indeed the only way a valve can be turned on hard like this is either a short on the control Grid or loss of fixed bias. As the other valves are quite young you would get away with just replacing V3 and the fact that the Hagen Amp has internal bias controls then the use of matched valves is not necessary. This is only required for Cathode Biased amplifiers where you need all valves to be happy running together at roughly the same current which among other things prevents the output transformer core from being magnetized. It's sad that we may never see the build quality of valves that we had in the golden days, I have been trialing the new? Brimar KT88 valves. These are actually made by Shanguang in China and so far two have suffered from leakage on the screen grid. This can only be due to bad Mica insulators or the valves being made in less than ideal clean conditions. But I liked your video and maybe, after giving those grid pins a clean and solder shine, your faith in JJ's will be restored somewhat. :-)
Les this is great info and thanks for posting it. I was not aware of some of the stuff you mentioned and I'm sure others would not be too. It's always good to get more info because the way I look at it is that people often come to this video because of issues or questions about tubes. Great points. I have used JJ in other amps for sure and never had ANY tube amp issues except for the one time in the Hagen. I changed the tubes and it's been fine since so maybe you are right. Thanks for the info and for watching.
I have some brimar 84’s and they turned out great.
wow so close to the whole amp going. scary I have an old tube radio that has never had the tubes changed and only 7 hours wonder how long the tubes in my amps have left
GREENE TERROR Well that's the problem I guess... seems they can just go at ANY time from what some of the notes on here say...
Hi! Tony. I had a Blackstar amp with two TAD EL34's. They were great sounding but being told JJ's were the bee's knees I bought some, within two months I had a volume issue, low vol then normal, didn't glow white as yours did but crap all the same. Had them tested and were told they are good, DEJA VU. I then read that TAD were actually Shougang from China, bought two really cheap, sounded awesome, same as TAD. Still using them and still awesome. I couldn't believe it when I watched this video how you had the exact same problem. JJ's------- forget it. Spud
blackmore56 Wow what a coincidence! Yes I like the TAD ones not because of the brand specifically but because of how they weed out the wood from the chaff so to speak. It's funny how these tubes can be 'OK' but not... and that was one of the reasons for making the video... I can imagine guys that hardly know that much about tubes and something similar happens... refit the tube and meltdown time. Not a good experience and in a way I'm glad I'm not alone.... welcome aboard :) and thanks for watching.
After 40 gigs, rehearsals and playing at home my tubes in my blues jr seem to be worn. Yesterday I needed to play this thing on 6 on the master in a little club. I never played it with that setting. And it seemed to have problems being loud. Will check the tubes tomorrow if I can spot one. I've already looked up the prices. Thanks Putin :( but thanks for the video :)
Yes the tubes are 'reacting' not the tubes but the dealers selling them :) My guess is even the older stock tubes have been hiked up. Take a really good look at the tubes as often that alone can show problems... logo colours etc. for overheating. Thanks for watching.
@@8odycount it ain't Putin making your tubes expensive, it's your own government.
This guy is such a fake wannabe expert.
Trying to emulate you…
I quit using jj tubes years ago after bob sent me a bunch of baby rattle disguised as tubes, then tried to blame it on me.
Thanks for the info and for posting it. I never had them that bad! But there again one nearly took out a Diezel Hagen... Thanks for watching too
Hi Tony, please answer my question
Marshall DSL 5 CR, is the tube qualified ? How long the tubes last for once a week use for 3 - 4 hours.
Sometimes, the sound of the amplifier is decreasing after more an hour use, this morning I had the same case. I am wondering what's actually happening to the amp ?
Thank you very much before
Have a great day,
Tubes not used that much like you describe I have seen still operational at well over 10 years... (power and preamp tubes). If you can determine the age of the tube that's a start. For old tubes look for things like whitening off, burn marks inside the tube and that sort of thing. Examine the tubes after being on for say 10 minutes and then use the amp for say an hour or so, then examine them again... see any difference? If you can check the tubes in a tube tester then do so. For Preamp tubes change them out one at a time and see if there is an improvement. Other than that, you could also check the Bias of the tubes and anything else refer to an expert... hope it helps.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Huge thanks Tony for your explanation and suggestions. The information is very helpful. Anyway, I bought the tube amp on 16th January 2022, a year until this time. I always note the time of the warming up time from turning on the amp and after it's turned off as well. Based on your explanation, I think yesterday I didn't warm it up just no enough warming up time for the amp. Thank you so much Tony, happy times with music from Nusa Penida island 🙏
Well the standby is only generally a few minutes just enough time to warm up the (prticularly) power tubes. In any case.... hope you go OK with it... thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Thank you very much Tony for the information. I'll check the amp following your information. Hopefully it's all doing well 😀
What are your current production favorite power tubes that wont cost a guy an arm and a leg?
Well, as many point out to me when I tell you, it's not really the 'brand' but rather the testing and weeding out of the less than perfect tubes by the seller. Anyone who does that (mesa included) charges more for their tubes - even if they are Chines tubes and not necessarily always what some guys might think are 'premium'. I buy TAD (tubeampdoctor.com ) tubes because of the extensive weeding out of less than perfect tubes which honestly I have never had a single TSAD tube fail ever. But they are NOT cheap. I have also used Russian tubes winged C's but again these days they seem to cost. Some of the others like GT I have had balancing issues with so I no longer use those either. Sorry I don't really have a great tube off the shelf for low cost answer... but I wish there was one. Good point and thanks for watching.
Watched the whole thing, very helpful! I've just bought a used engl Thunder 50w head and would hate for it to "glow up" So now I know what to look for as far as visual and audio ques.
Well some knowledge is better than no knowledge I think. if one really goes you will hear it, and might see it... and like I was really lucky to turn the amp off, but sometimes the failure can cause trouble. In any case thanks for watching.
So you have a poorly supported dislike of JJ branded tubes.
Is there anything else here that could not have been said in two minutes?
I suggest not venturing personal prejudice as information.
Dear Mr Stephen. Thanks for watching the video. However all of my observations and comments are completely based on my experiences as a customer and using tubes since 1967. What I would suggest is that you don't make comments that are clearly meaningless... at least my comments within my reviews are usually based on experience and fact... lastly, communicating with one word to viewers takes time... too long for you? no problem... don't watch it... you might be better making some of your own videos which last time I checked your profile you had zero. Nice....
it will change when you drive it
It certainly will... mine glowed like a light bulb :) and I only just managed to turn the amp off in time... Thanks for watching.
Hey, just wanted to say thanks for making this! I’ve been having problems with my amp and suspected either an input jack problem or a tube failure and didn’t know where to start with checking tubes. Turns out it was a power tube and I was able to pinpoint it thanks to your video. I’ll be getting a new one tomorrow just in time to have my amp ready to go for an upcoming gig.
Great to know Sam... and lucky you did not get any catastrophic failure as that can take the amp out... Thanks for letting me know and thanks for watching too.
Today is a tragic day for my TSL 100. I was playing it with volume only at around 9 o'clock, when the HT fuse blew. Checking the tubes, thanks to this video, I found that all four EL34s have most likely failed. Now, they are about 15 years old, according to the guy I bought the amp from. Thank you for this video, but I don't see me getting any new tubes any time soon, not with Russia creating problems for our favorite hobby...
Be VERY careful! The TSL100 has a well known issue regarding bias drift. This could (might) be that problem and if it does have that you need a new board - thankfully you can buy them from Marshall dealers at a reasonable price. Check my video here: ua-cam.com/video/RtFhvYcI6x4/v-deo.html and tubes are not really a problem... check tubeampdoctor.com for them... Hope it all helps and do let me know what you find... thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenzieofficial thanks, I will. When I checked the bias before, I had let the amp run on for a good 15-20 min and checked it again. I checked my motherboard to try and vigurecwhich revision it was, but only identifying feature was that the board was all green and opaque, which tells me a later revision. Any idea what revision was in 2006, by chance? Google has failed me.
It is stamped on the boards edge as I showed in my video. It seems 2005/6 and before are trouble. I call it revision but its really issue number to look for if I remember correctly - ha I have not watched my own video :) ua-cam.com/video/RtFhvYcI6x4/v-deo.html as you see the new board is issue 20... issue 7 or older is likely aggro if not yet. There is also a capacitor that can tend to blow and burn because its under specified - if that is burned its also a sure sign of aggro IMO. Look: ua-cam.com/video/RtFhvYcI6x4/v-deo.html hope it all helps anyway. Be careful about colours of boards etc. the ISSUE NUMBER is what matters IMO.
Maybe you shouldn't sanction the country that makes your tubes XD
orange quality has just been getting worse and worse and worse
I personally like JJ valves
Some do... I did until I had aggro then went off them. If they work OK for you then that's cool but it nearly cost me an amp and I am now very careful about extensive testing so I get TAD tubes. Never had any TAD tube fail. Thanks for watching BTW.
maybe something else in the amp failed and lit up the tube as a consequence. It should be looked at by a good tube amp tech.
+Galfonz That is a good point and I have considered that... but the tube DID eventually fail in the tester - it just took a lot of goes before it did (probably thermal?). Also the amp has worked flawlessly since. But that's a good point and it sure could have been something on the amp. Thanks for watching.
That tube tester doesn't seem to work as well is the old tube testers,from what I here.
I would agree with that entirely. But some of the old tube testers are unreliable and information is sometimes scarce. Think of this a s a simple checker really.
@@tonymckenzieofficial I still put my faith in the old tube testers
@@nor4277 It's true that the results will be better than this. Thanks.
Tube tester is only looking for a few things the technicians can do more. My tester generates values. BUT, that tube is microphonic and I am surprised that is was not microphonic when it was installed. I am curious did you hear it. I have 7 - 1960's american tube amplifier, some long gone. Curious if this is a fixed bias amp or does it have a bias pot. Bad biasing can call extreme premature failure even in PERFECTLY manufactured tubes.
GOOD REVIEW ALWAYS LOOK AT THE TUBES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I did not hear it microphonic. There is an adjuster for Bias. Yes this one 'sneaked up' and literally jumped out right in front of our eyes as we were looking at the amp and discussing other stuff. I just made the off switch :). Thanks for watching.
When there's no sound coming out of one of the channels would that be the preamp tube or the power tube? The big power tubes are both on but I think two of the preamp tubes don't light up when I turn the amp on.
Possible to be a preamp tube, change them one at a time and see whether its fixed...
When I got my Hammond L122 organ all the original valves looked and performed horribly, so I set out to get some advice from people who know (or at least SHOULD know) what replacements I should get.
Their answer? "Keep the original ones, even if they're worn they're still better than the new ones!"
Clearly there must be a bloody FETISH about valves, who in his right mind would tell you something like this?
After a bit of thinking it came back to my mind that I used JJ's ECC83S valves for a school project involving a phono preamp, not only it was a success but they made my records sound just right to me!
Digged them up from a pile of old stuff, put them in the main amp and oh boy did the sound shine bright!
I'm still in the process of replacing them all, but the amp is completely rid of the old valves, replaced by JJ ones.
I still can't believe this is the organ I bought, the output is so crisp and clear with no lack of base, mind ya!
Clearly guys do have different experiences with JJ. But if ever you get a bad experience you will never forget the brand ;-) Thanks.
Last week i inserted 4 new JJEL34 matched set, and when i plugged my JCM 2000 DSL for a bias adjustment, i hear a litlle crackle and after sometime it stoped, i adjusted the Bias, and all seemed fine, plugged my guitar and the tone was great and after 30 minutes i started to smell somthing burning, i looked the tubes and noticed that tow were red plating ... i had some Groove Tubes and inserted them, no crackle, adjusted Bias and and still working great, so my thought's are that those tow JJs had some defect ...
Ouch Mario - you were lucky! The problem with the power tubes going crazy is not so much the tubes (we can change them) but what if anything it could do to your amp. While there are some fuses of course, there can still be pretty major issues when tubes fail and red plate. In the case of the JJ that failed for me, it went way beyond the red stage in to lightbulb mode... luckily I switched off immediately. Good to know you got past the incident. These days I tend to opt for TASD (tubeampdoctor.com) for their selected tubes because I have never had a single one of those fail. I put that down to their selection and grading processes. Thanks for posting this ... and anyone reading... beware. Thanks for watching.
What is to say there is anything wrong with the tube? How are they biased? Could the biasing have drifted by a component fault in the amp. I would certainly strip the amp down and check values. Also 9 what? A box that boasts of doing loads of tests and then just displays a number is pretty close to useless. If it does tests then output the numerical results. Much better to plot actual curves (see uTracer kit for a cheap but powerful tester).
The amp that the tube came from was and remains perfect to this day. So I'll not remain a fan of that brand as having an amp trashed by a tube is not for me. On the Orange tube tester - well its a novices piece of gear and I really reviewed it as such. But thanks for the info on the uTracer and Ill check that out.
I have Marshall JCM2000 TSL122, put a new JJ's KT77 , after some hours 2nd and 3rd tube shows overheated signs like you have here, got into the web to find whats the problem cause it does not effect the sound. i have found out that Marshall DSL and TSL have biasing problems that fry 2nd and 3rd power tubes. After this i looked for MOD for this problem, bought the MOD and fix the problem myself and now my amp is running smoothly and never had to worry about over heating. the burnt tubes are running 100% because they were only burnt because of bias problem. So i think you may have put those tubes in Marshall JCM2000 or DSLs?
Be careful fitting KT77 tubes in an amp designed for EL34 because the main resistors are incorrect for that tube. I would be VERY careful indeed just changing out EL34 for KT77 and have seen those sort of issues when that is done. You have to change the tube resistors to resolve it otherwise the amp and/or tube can fail. Thanks for watching.
Hey Tony, when are you coming to Florida? What town will you be visiting?
hawg427 1st sept to 22nd sept.... Kissimmee area and may be Tampa... I'll be wandering around...
By the sound of it your amp 'red plated'. Tubes are not always the cause of this. It can be a resistor gone open circuit.
I am an amp/guitar tech by trade - and like you I would not use that tube again either. Tubes never sound the same in my opinion once they red plate.
Dont forget - you can buy a set of JJs for cheap (from ebay) or a more expensive set of JJs that have been fully computer tested, and load tested. You will pay more for this.
Use the other tubes in a 50 watter! But it would be an idea to have your diezal tested out.
Of course (I am sure you know this!) power tubes need biasing in a lot of amps.
I see JJs, EH, TAD, Svetlana, Mesa tubes blow! Marshall tubes arent great.
Only a few factories actually make valves these days, and companies get them at different times - they reject some and these get passed on to the next company.... That company then prints a brand on them. Stay away from 'Groove Tubes' now.
Orange use JJs now, Marshall do on EL84 equiped amps.
You are VERY lucky not to have one fail previously. I never have either as I keep my tubes replaced yearly.
Phil Docker Hi Phil... great info for guys who watch the video for sure. I binned all of the JJ's except (of course) the brand new ones I just bought. The amp appeared to be OK inside and I was looking at the resistors but they seem OK... maybe I'll pull it out again and take a deeper look. The Hagen does need biasing which I did (I have a bias master that works OK) and it seems to run fine other than that tube. All good points especially from a tech... thanks Phil it will help many.
I'd be more worried about why the tube failed so quickly and why that particular one, I had an AC30 that kept blowing the same valve over and over, i never even moved the bastard. Nice to see how fallible the tube tester is though :/
zachary smith Yes the tester eventually did pin it lower, but I was surprised that it did not pick it up immediately... maybe if I allowed the amp to burn out :) -1 for the tube tester!
Well on this amp its been all good since and I have had the chassis out... looks OK and rebiased OK too. Maybe it was just a dodgy tube but one things for sure... I'll find out if it wasn't! Thanks for watching.
I just changed my tubes cause I have not changed them in a minute I only change the 6l6 and not 12ax7 had I had lost my volume again so I guess am I looking at a power surge or a tube blew
I just ordered all new tubes but I'm ife on taking my amp back to this guy's house what are your thoughts on this any help is great as I don't know much about tube heads I got this amp witch is a 5150 year is 89/90 somewhere in there I love this amp and don't want to fry it by no means any help is appreciated thank you
Jason be very careful with this problem. Its a bit unusual to have power tubes that fail, and as soon as you replace them they fail again. My advice is to get that amp checked by a pro... you certainly don't want to damage it. Hard to diagnose and give advice especially if you don't have all the gear for checking and the experience... just be careful... and let me know what they find. Thanks.
JJ sound good but for god sake they dont last with me more than 6 months
i wanted to ask you tony what are the best el34 that stay a long time?
also what does it mean when my amp start to sound very very dark with JJ...is it an el34 issue or 12AX7???
Hard to diagnose over the net. I've never had that except with strings that get sweaty then fade... change them and check. On Tubes I often use TAD tubes, but to be honest that is because they weed out the junk from what they sell. Their tubes are like others except that they have been very carefully selected from others that fail their tests. Hope it helps and thank you for watching.
I'm pretty new to tube amps... My _new_ Randall blew two fuses back to back. Is this likely a bad tube?
Yes. Check the big ones first! Thanks for watching.
Ever stop to think there may be something wrong with your amp.?
Great argument... but since June 15th 2015 to now the amp with replaced tubes has been flawless? It WAS the tubes.... thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenzieofficial you make that sound like your amp is an old amp. Come on it's only 3 years old it's probably got a problem of its own that caused it to blow a tube. Did somebody at JJ's piss in your cornflakes?
Nicest way I can put it... is that you are completely wrong and stop swearing on this channel If you can't speak English then... don't.
@@tonymckenzieofficial then I must say Obviously " someone peed in your cornflakes "...
Surely you must have more experience with bad tubes from JJ then just one. No good scientist would go by one incident and make a determination.
Clearly more experience than you. Go buy em dude and I'll see ya down at the crossroads... you'll be the guy in the repair store getting yours fixed. Ho Ho Ho... and have a merry Christmas.
I on the other hand have had nothing but good luck with JJ's; I live in the USA and have been buying JJ's for the last 20 years from the same outfit. With that being said, have they all been great? Nope.... But overall in my opinion they are a good value. Make friends with some older Ham radio folks, they can keep you in some of the vintage tubes.
+reso1349 They certainly are not my favourite but I guess it could be just one of them things. Thanks for watching
Hello. Thanks for the video. I recently bought a second hand bugera333xl (not the infinium version) and i found out two of the pream tubes are microphonic. Here in my country replacement tubes are either hard to find and expensive. I need to know how dangerous is operating the amp with microphonic tubes? Shoud i wait until i can replace them before using the amp? Besides that, there are 3 diferent tube references 12AX7A, 12AX7B and 12AX7C what is the difference between the tree tubes? any information you can give me would be most apreciated. tahnks in advance.
Microphonic tubes are probably not 'dangerous' but make the amp squeal often from my experience. All 12AX7 should be fine so a b or c etc. should be OK. The differences between a b or c I'm not exactly sure, but they are all 12AX7 so are OK.... thanks for watching.
I have had problems with jj tubes as well I bought a 4000 dollar amp a jmi ac30 top boost trapezoid head and alnico blue cab replica they are beautiful amps but they use jj's and the particular set they put in my amp were not matched properly I had the amp for about 3 days when it blew the fuse from tube failure could have been a devastating blow to my amp but I was lucky now I am suspicious of jj's because of that last week I bought a vox 60th anniversary ac15 which is also a very expensive amp and it also came from the factory with a mix of jj and ruby tubes the FIRST thing I plan to do is ditch those cheap valves been considering the reissue mullards
I really like your channel you seem like a stand up guy with valuable information your willing to share thank you and
Subscribed
Once someone has a major issue with tubes there is no doubt as in my case and yours that the subject matter of the brand takes a massive dive where tubes are concerned. In both our cases it was JJ and it seems both with very little use. It was exactly the same for me, watching a Diezel Hagen 'melt down' with a JJ tube is not really a good situation. I was lucky (the fuse did not blow) and you were protected by the fuse... but in either case it could have cost us substantial money, which JJ will never refund or take care of.
While I have tried some other JJ tubes I remain as uncertain about them likely as you do. For some years I have bought tubeampdoctor.com tubes and never had the slightest issue with them - they are matched particularly well and extensively tested (I think that's the real reason for these tubes being great) although they cost me more it's that 'peace of mind' factor that makes it all worth the effort for me.
Thanks for your experiences with JJ and I'm sure others will find it useful.
When I try and review anything, I buy it and then review it - so I am a user of all the gear - in that way I tend to see behind the sales hype of most videos I have seen and try and show what I got when I bought one. The JJ tubes thing was about personal experience with them and thought guys might like to see it. Glad you like the stuff and thanks for watching.
it's not JJ's fault it's the distributor's fault for not doing proper testing before sending them out. The place i get my JJ's from is always spot on with matching and the tubes I get are the best quality.
That's a reasonable view for sure. But I would have thought that JJ also test their products before shipping... maybe it's a cursory test though and I can understand that. But good point... thanks for watching.
Since the tube tested good, how do you know that a resistor has drifted way off spec and cause your amp to overheat the grid or the plate on that tube and cause it to fry over time? Just because a tube fails, doesn't mean that the tube is the culprit, does it?
The tube failed after a number of retests.... good tubes don't fail? But good point for sure and thanks for posting.
by the way. i have had the same luck as you with jj. literally the worst tubes in the world. however great videos I enjoy watching
The only brand that has actually popped for me ever JJ with capital J for junk. But others like them... not for me either.
Those valve testers are awful.
They can't supply enough high voltage or current to test properly.
I've used one of these and you may as well toss a dice...
I can agree they are not perfect by any means. But the only one I had at the time... Thanks for watching - appreciated.
I have a tube amp the fuse is good but when I click on the power switch there is no power, could this be caused by the power tubes being bad and if that might be the case how can I check these power tubes with an ohmmeter to find out if they're bad or not, thanks for any help you can give and rock on
+Ron Carter Hi Ron. If there is no power at all but the fuse for power is good... change the lead first... then it might be another internal fuse or a thing designed to blow from over current called an MOV. Which amp is it? Also you might try removing the power tubes (the big fat ones) and then turn on. if it comes on then get new tubes.
I bought a used Marshall with JJ's in it, the previous owner said they were "new".
everything was fine until a week later, starting having a high pitch sequel, and power drop. well having played 40 years, i knew right away it was a tube issue.
The bias on the tube would jump from 39 / 39, to 36 / 65, once the amp made a popping sound, and the volume would drop. i replaced them with new Groove Tubes, and the new tube bias 1st test went from 39 on each tube to 69, these are EL34's and recommended from Marshall to be set at 45 each, I always drop it down a bit to around 38. But the difference for voltage, these tubes have over the previous set was almost double.
Just because a lot of people use them, doesn't mean they are a reliable tube. My 1st experience with JJ's were not good.
+Slimjim Hmmm I did not get along with them either and it nearly cost me the amp. I guess every tube from them is not bad, but its a risky business checking right? I buy often from tubeampdoctor.com because of the testing and not really the brand. Never had a tube from them fail... ever. Thanks for the input because the more there is will undoubtedly help others. Thanks.
i have a feeling that orange unit isnt great. i was 1 of the 3 biggest orange dealers in the usa back when they ri all uk made stuff.
how does the orange take into consideration playing at full volume under a bunch of load. im guessing that orange unit shoots somevoltage through and as long as it shows current passing alot its good
Well it is not perfect by any means. I guess the ones that pass should be OK and they seem to work for me. Thanks for the info and for watching.
Tony man. The thing people want to know is "Where do you buy your shirts?"
Peter Riley I get mine locally here, but they are made in Japan in fact. I'm sure if you look around they will be wherever you are too... think market stalls :)
Well should you be touching the tubes with your hands? The oils in your skin yada yada
I get told that occasionally... great theory, but I have done that since 68 and am still waiting for a single tube to fail from my handling. I tend to believe what happens to me in reality from personal experience. Good point though and thanks for watching.
***** Well the same goes for lamps that create a lot of heat.
The manufacturer warns that the oils yada yada.
Now dont get me wrong but what you offer is personal experience and whats on the other side is based on something and its an advice from the manufacturers themselves.
Maybe your skin isnt yada yada.. anyway
No I'm sure that they DO tell everyone that for sure like you say... and it probably IS that I don't have oily skin or I'm just lucky, but I don't think after about 47 years of it that it could be luck :)
You are right to point it out no problem. But it is weird that while some guys could get issues I never did. Regards T.
I'm 58 and have never had a tube blow prematurely, and I put them in and out with my hands all the time. Having said that, if you're really worried about it, you can still handle them with bare hands and just wipe them down after installing them if you want to. That's a heck of a lot easier than trying to wear gloves or use a tissue etc. while installing a tube.
Me too ;-)
Hi Tony,
What is your opinion on this: One power tube failed and the Mesa manual suggested I change all the quad even though three tested fine. In the old days 40 years ago our amp tech (brill guy) would just stick in another tube often not even the same manucture but a 6L6. And to my recollection it always seem to work ok, we were not all that fussed.
It is no wonder that I now have a box of tubes which I am sure most are good. When I recieve my little Orange tester I should be able to sort out matched pairs will it make much difference in your opion if the now matched tubes are from different manufactures.
I just love it when Amp manufactures say 'replace all' and never suggest getting another tube that matches. Or am I missing something, as the cost of a full quad set is bloody expensive.
I would like your valued opinion
Regards Frank (from Chorley)
Mesa have a fixed bias and they are a little different than other amps in my opinion. Bear in mind that a set of four tubes which might have run for say a year or so and one fails, then what you really have is a matched set,... of three. Replacing the failed tube with one from any company (but with the mesa tube same) will make a 'matched set' for now only. As the tubes work the 'new' one will age and the older ones will age even more... likely at different rates. Then its a mismatched set and not a great fix. At worst if that was me I would AT LEAST change out two tubes of the four (one of them being the failed tube) then at least if you fit them as they work then each set is at least matched correctly.
There IS sense in changing the lot out, but like you, it pains me to do it. Truthfully I have never changed out just one power tube - minimum would be two. The 'old days' as I also know them... things were different for sure. The Orange tester is OK but not like a real tube tester. It's OK for the sort of quick check that I did but a decent real tester would have found things in a far more recognisable way. Unfortunately they are often a pain through either unreliability or no documentation. Hence I bought the Orange tester.
Thanks for watching Frank. You could put one tube in... but if you ever are standing by the amp and watched one light up the whole room you would NEVER do that again! I had a JJ do just that even in a new set in an amp! It scares the hell out of you because failing to turn it off immediately could be very expensive and far more expensive than the tubes. Good point though.
I have that same tester and have experienced the same thing with known bad tubes. Mine actually passed a cracked 6L6 with the getter flashed in the tube, I just wanted to see if the Orange would catch it and it did not. The tube rated low but still passed.
+reso1349 Interesting and you got the sort of problem I did. I reckon it probably is just an average tube tester and more of a guide than the facts of the position with the tube under test.
Hi Tony... I've used lots of different tube makes. Almost all current production tubes come from one of 3 places. Reflektor (Xpo-Pul) Russia, JJ in Slovakia, or China (Shuguang). I've had OK results with JJ tubes... Hopefully your vendor will make it right. I had a Tung-Sol repro fail early in its life, and the vendor made right on it. It's odd, Military style tubes last the longest, but sound blah... some of the better sounding tubes don't hold up. Go figure.
+DeadKoby I know what you are saying and it COULD be a problem from any manufacturer of tubes. My view is get the 'selected' stuff which has been extensively tested and then probably no problems from any brand of tube... but the regular stuff.. ouch! Thanks for watching.
I can think of two web tube vendors that do a full burn in and match of any new tube sets... So I'd say to buy from guys who do that. Overall, despite having "bad ones" sometimes, JJ isn't a total stinker as a tube maker. That said, Their EL84 (6BQ5) is on my favs list, but I prefer another make for 12AX7 and 6L6...
+DeadKoby I agree on the burned in and matched tubes for sure...
How ironic as I just had a JJ 6SN7 chew itself to death.
Hmmm... I have not had luck with the JJ tubes myself, and while I only had one fail, its the only tube I have ever had fail... you must be as lucky as me - Thanks for watching.
johno yes ,they are already knackard ?
hey Tony ! im using JJs few years now and they are glowing few times per week for some hours and they realy good, i also have been using this tester from orange but it has been showing fucked bugera preamp tubes as they are in good shape so i dont know if i could trust this toy 100% ...cheers
+Filip musiatowicz I had trouble with them and nearly cost me an amp :( and the Orange is really a sort of guessimate on occasion... I don't know why.
Maybe i was lucky and ive got a good ones;) but I've checked out and dosens are saying similar things so maybe I won't buy them next time:/
+Filip musiatowicz Yes just be careful.
problem is ......most people dont have a tester unit like that.
I agree with that! A fair point indeed. But if you look at those tubes you can see that they had been through hell and back :) so there was some sort of indication that there was a problem. Unfortunately even with that tester the tube took some time to show any problem. In the amp it was pretty instant. I guess changing them regularly is the best answer but a bit expensive these days. Thanks for watching.
Ah for the old days where half the stores even pharmacies & grocery stores had tube testers to use for free.
greatvanzinni I think mostly tubes for TV's though.
greatvanzinni It was a bit before I woke up LOL... I'm old that's for sure but I never saw any of the stores with tube testers in there back in the day. Thanks for watching.
***** Maybe just in the states when I was little early 60's.
So it does not matter if you touch the tube with your fingers?
Some say it does... others say not. Personally, I have not had any issues with any of that since 1972 so for me it's OK. Of course some people might have very 'oily' deposits they leave on tubes. I can't speak for others but for me it seems to be all good. Great point and thanks for watching.
I tried a set of JJ's once. Wasn't more than a week before one melted. Never again....
+Trex1268 Thanks for the input as I'm sure it will help others. Thanks for watching too ;-)
+Trex1268 did you bias anything ? did you bias check the tubes one by one from the pins
to make sure that are matched ?
I have a Hickok 752 tube tester. I paid for a matched quad and check them when I received them on my 752. They were matched. EH tubes had no problem But i didn't like their size, The glass was to big. Right now I have the new Tung-Sol 7591 in the original glass size and I couldn't be happier.
Florida! Holiday or are you coming to pick some lettuce and oranges to pay for all the new gear?...lol. If you get home sick, you can go to Jacksonville on the St. Johns River. It's just like the Thames, with nice weather. It is certainly one of the more presentable cites in America.
Rabi Ben Lavi Ah Jacksonville... home of the original Free Birds LOL Lynerd Skynerd country... (did I spell that right). Hopefully the river is not like the Thames... I hate dead dogs getting in the way of swimming... (joking of course). Its amazing that Google has no spelling check for such a great band - who are these google guys!
I'll be wandering around in that sun relaxing and lapping it all up, eating USA steaks and looking for gear LOL.... what a break. Some might not like it there, but I really like it all... the cars, bars and of course the gators :)
tonymckenziecom
So I bought a used crate 33 tube amp and it only had a very very low volume even turned all the way up, but it was working. All the tubes glow but very dull, and itapped on them with no ringing. So i removed them and put them back in now no sound just scratchy low noise. What do you think my problem is?
I know some of this sounds silly.. but check each one: Did you put each tube back in EXACTLY the same place? Did you ensure that there's no 'bent' legs on ANY tube? remove each tube and check it all very carefully. If its worse just after and replacing tubes back in there its reasonable to assume that you got something wrong.... OR that maybe the tube socket(s) have some problem. I had one of these amps years ago and the one I had was made by Loud technologies at the time (I think mine was a 50w) and the quality of the sockets caused issues with dirt on the pins. You CAN get cleaner but if you're not too sure of how to do that then don't do it! Let me know what you find... Thanks.
It was about 2 months ago when I last played with it, So I am not sure if I put them back in the same way. I will pull them tonight and take a look. Thank you for the video and your reply!
A tube often will develop a plate to grid short that won't appear on a tube tester. It only appears when the tube is run at full operating conditions and temperatures. This is why the bad tube didn't test bad. The Orange tester doesn't stress the tube as hard as an amplifier will.
Thanks for the info. Actually over about 9 tests it did then fail on test. The tube got hotter over those tests and I attributed the heat to the resultant disclosed failure after that 9th test or so. Seemed like, as you say, that the tester could hardly stress the tube as needed to show the failure. That IMO was a shortcoming of the tester I thought... but thanks for the good info you posted - and thanks for watching.
Hi there, I have a question I recently purchased a blues junior in lacquered tweed. But I've noticed a notes when I'm playing through the amp. I only hear it when I play certain notes. I hear a rattling noise.
I've taken the amp apart and checked all the nuts and bolts, but it's still there!
Someone said it could be a valve?
What would you suggest.
many thanks. Ricky
Check the preamp tubes first... (the little ones) and find V1 first (usually marked somewhere). You need ONE good one and swap out (of the same type of course) and check after you change each one to see if the problem has gone. If it has it was the last tube you changed. You can get problems with power tubes, but I would tend to opt for the preamp tubes on this. BTW you can also get resonance affecting a tube (preamp ones) and you can get small circular rings that go over the tube to stop that. But swapping them as I said should allow you to determine whats the problem. Thanks
@@tonymckenzieofficial hi mate, sorry for the late reply.
That's brilliant, thank you very much for your help
Tommy watched your tube video good information....what I want to know is where do you get your shirts at ..
Local market in the UK... but they are made in Japan and I'm sure you can get them everywhere if you look... they glow in the dark too... probably plutonium based :)
Thanks for watching.
Thanks Tony
I have recently moved house, my parents transported my 4 watt Vox tube amp and PRS SE Custom guitar and my American Fender strat so I know that there would not been much risk of damage. My new property has high ceilings and is larger than my previous property. My amp is pretty new but, I have noticed that the volume is prett quiet when using my Fender and my PRS SE Custom. I have checked cables, I have looked at the grid at the top of the amp and there is light there. Can anyone help ? Thanks in advance
Hi Jeff, 4 watts is relative... has the amp been louder at any time? Have you changed speakers? Did you use a pedal in front of the amp previously? And BTW tell me the model of the Vox amp... thanks
I used a pedal in front previously !
Well on that point you can what appears to be higher output from the amp... and maybe without the pedal it sounds not as high an output as before? Hard to know without being there...
Thank you for a really entertaining and informative video
Well thanks for watching... appreciated.
His shirt looks exactly like GuitarMAX's new Peavey Reaper!
Doh... you spoiled it :)
@@tonymckenzieofficial i wish i had the knowledge and cohones to change my tubes, i have a blackstar ht5 and its not sounding right 😪
@@bramabull111Hey Dan, its not too hard a job to carry out. You just need good tubes preferably 'matched' and something like the bias master. While the bias master is not 'cheap' you would have it for good and never need to buy another. In fact its the unit I use. Hope it helps and heres a link to one: www.hotroxuk.com/tad-biasmaster-2-octal-probes-bm2.html that is for a two power tube amp but I have the 4 tube unit which is good for most amps here: www.hotroxuk.com/tad-biasmaster-4-octal-probes-bm4-4283.html and you might find it far cheaper elsewhere... Thanks.
first thing JJ makes tubes for everyone, me self I have used JJ tubes for 25years and never had a problem unless the bias was off once a kt88; that burnt tube looks like the bias was off, plus if you had a problem why didn't you return the tubes for a different quad set? JJ makes all brand name tubes from telfunken to mallard
Of course, JJ do make lot's of tubes, but I always find its the ones with extensive testing and selecting that are the 'best' tubes out there.. like tube amp doctor tubes... On the faulty tubes I could not return them because they were out of a Diezel amp which was nearly the worse for that except I just about turned the amp off in time. Thanks for the info and of course for watching.
you should have the bias checked, plus it is very possible that was a bad tube from the start, that tube got too hot and burned out, but if it is a auto bias then I would go with it as just a faulty tube, but all in all JJ tubes are pretty good http:www.thetubestore.com try these guys they have every brand of tube even nos stock
It was OK... and not auto n=bias on the Diezel Hagen. It's been working since so likely bad tube...
I went with Tung Sol 6L6 power tubes (matched) and Tung Sol 12ax7 preamp tubes. Now to put them in. The Peavey vk100 is fixed biased so plug and play.
I have used Tung-Sol too... and they are in a surprising number of amps from the factory. If you do get any problems do let me know... and thanks for watching.
New Tung-Sol reissue tubes are made by the same factory that does Electro-Harmonix, Mullard reissue and Sovtek ones.
They don't have the best of reputations either.
Seem to work for me? Maybe because I always choose selected tubes? Thanks.
Great vids by the way. I should have said that first but got to excited to tell my story, sorry.
blackmore56 Ha there's not time limit for great comments. Thanks...
I have Marshall sl 5 combo.. vintage style tube amp, and I started using flashback tc electronic delay.. can that added signal have bad impact on tubes?
Bonus question.. I have that amp for 2 years but I haven't played it much.. how will I know when it is time to replace it? When used on higher volume/distortion settings?
Don't think so really...
I have had some amps that never had tubes changed in ten or fifteen years... they still worked and sounded good. However, the problem if you use the amp all the time is that tubes do deteriorate. But overall it(to me) more a question of whether you want to risc having a power tube fail that could cost you dearly for repairs. Most consensus out there is change the tubes regularly (once a gear if used a lot and maybe once every couple of years if less so). But if you can get tubes checked then there is less reason to change them. I have to admit, I do not change tubes every day :) Factually once I buy a really well matched premium set I rarely flip them out short term. But I have loads of amps so they vary in use. Hope it helps and thanks for watching.
Sir only one power tube is constantly glowing blue light and the other is plain..is it normal?
Don't always assume something is wrong because of the glow... unless it lights up like a light bulb... and if your amp does that then turn it off immediately. Thanks for watching Niranjan.
tonymckenziecom thanx a lot sir!! Your video is amazing!! Love it!! Plain and simple!! Made me better educated at it!!
Thanks for those kind words.
Another great one Tony!
I don’t like JJs either. I only buy tubes that are tested by TAD or Ruby. Even then, only from reputable dealers with a proven history of doing their own testing. Like Doug’s Tubes in NY. As you said, a tube failure can create an expensive repair bill. It’s not worth trying to save a couple dollars and buy cheap tubes. Did you ever wonder what TAD, Ruby, Groove Tubes and the others do with tubes tha fail testing? Check eBay, you’ll tons of them, in plain white boxes, for sale cheap! I’m not saying all are rejects, but some are!
Yes I had issues with JJ for sure. GCkellock (a guy who knows his stuff on tubes for sure) on here has said that they have changed these days and I have actually bought some JJ's for some future reviews and installs in to a particular amp. But TAD for me are the 'rolls royce' of tubes. Indeed they do cost more and the reason is that its generally NOT the tube that's better than others, but the severe and extended testing of the tubes they buy so when you get one with the TAD sticker THOSE tubes do exactly what they should and I've never had a single issue with them. On the other hand, any old tube on eBay as you say is not really a good idea - even if it's branded with some name you might know. Good points Danny and thanks for watching. I just posted some new stuff.
Cheap tubes are like cheap birth control! Both can get you in trouble!
:) Indeed, that is one of the classic comments this year! :) Thanks... and everyone take heed! For both subjects :)
Where you from Tony? Yorkshire man?
Staffordshire.... a Pit Bull :) well... not quite... as I get older I mellow like a great whisky :). Thanks.
A lot of power tubes I have seen and used show a blackening over time on the shields like that failed one, not sure it's really a sign of anything bad. Mullards I have read do this quite commonly.
The blackened print on the glass on the other hand...
Every brand these days has failures - JJ actully make some great tubes tho. I'm indifferent to the tone, but every one I have used has worked and been very reliable (although the el84s rattle like hell, even new). Sovtek on the other hand... pop pop pop
Thanks for that input. I did not really want to 'single out' JJ... because most often the best tubes (in my experience) are the ones that are selected and tested many times - they don't fail or at least have never failed for me. So I'm sure that with the proper selection that JJ would be as good as anything else. Good comments and thanks for watching.
Actually regarding my sovtek comment, that's about their el84s specifically (and the el84m) however the electroharmonix branded sovvies are excellent and worth the slightly higher price. The el84s are burned in at the factory, I am sure that weeds out a few failures as all my failed power tubes occured within an hour or two of use.
Good info. Yes it certainly is down to the testing and sorting that I reckon is the key - they always cost more, but who wants Russian Roulette tubes.
very interesting , I have used JJ's for years and no failures I guess all parts can fail. in your opinion what is the best tube? Thanks for the info!
Shadowsreach1 I'm not so sure there's a 'best tube' (brand I think you meant). My own interpretation of that really is 'who checks and tests them the most' to root out the ones that do what this one did and bin them. I guess I've used most 'brands' of tubes over the years. For me the most consistent tubes have come from tubeampdoctor. So I would say its most important to find the 'right' company that will go the whole hog and test them to ensure they are not going to go 'pop' tomorrow.. as indeed this JJ did in reality. Now that's one thing I have never reviewed... a complete summary of how good ort bad each 'matching set' of tubes is from which company. Indeed I have never seen anyone do that.
If anyone knows of such a list it could be useful providing that list was not made up by someone with a vested interest in the result ;-)
Thanks for watching BTW.
Cool! I think I'll try TAD tubes next. Thanks for the input!
hey tony, mind if i ask where you are based? Just trying to place your accent :)
Some say my accent is Liverpool based but they would be wrong. Far more Staffordshire. :) While I try to remove my accent it is stuck on me forever. But the real local dialect if I was to use it and you were not from here most people would have no clue of what I would say. For example (hard to write) 'cos kik a bow agin a wow n yead it' type of thing. And that is NOT mis spelt :).
tonymckenziecom ah. Fair enough. It sounded vaguely northern to me. Like bits of my mate from st Helens mixed with Yorkshire. I'm from Northumberland myself so anything south of Middlesbrough is a mystery to me accent wise.
:) it's all OK if you're from here... but Northumberland to me is harder:) I went to Newcastle on Tyne recently and that took me back to the early 90's where I met Newcastle locals and their slang (while I understood the words often) did not really mean what I interpreted it as :). That was fun at the time and a fond memory.
hi Tony, my name is pete,you have a really cool channel here.i live in San Antonio Texas . I just bought my first gibson a 2016 faded sg t , it's very nice. the factory set up was ok. But I have a friend who is like you with guitars,,,he set it up for me and it plays sweet. have you ever had an sg? I'd like to see your review of one,,and your opinion. Thanks for listning,reading,,your friend pete.
Hi Pete... Ah the SG... in fact my first REAL guitar back in around 1971... a SG special with a Bigsby. You know what I have been considering buying another SG for years. I've had a number of them off and on and they are really cool design I think... top frets no sweat... fast playing... easy... and you can get them reasonably cheaply second hand. It's likely your SG will be cool too. I'll bear the question in mind and I'm halfway (well 80%) to buying one again. If I do it will be on my channel for sure - great guitars. Thanks for watching.
tonymckenziecom wow,,,thanks my friend,,,,I have a little Vox amp too,,had it about five years,,,it has tubes and I have never changed them. I got it with a George Lynch tiger stripe guitar,,lost it at a bar.then I got an evh frankenstien guitar,,it's really cool,, it's the black and white stripes one. Mexican made,looks like a strat but the neck is differnt,,really flat ,,my sg is different then it,,but they both play good,,im lucky to have them. everyone likes the way they sound,,do you think I have to change my tubes? as I have never changed them,,,thank you for your channel,,I saw the guitars you built too,,man beutiful,,your awesome! cheers to you!
On tubes people always say change them but you know what, once I have a great set in there (some are rubbish as supplied re tones or quality) then I tend to just leave them in there. I have had just ONE tube fail to date and that was a JJ brand EL34 which nearly took the amp but I was right there when it failed and I turned off really quickly. It saved the amp and I fitted TAD (brand) tubes and never had any other issues. Obviously tubes can fail, but since 1968 the single failure wads that tube about two years ago.
tonymckenziecom Thanks,,my little amp still sounds good to me,,so I'll leave it be.Thank you Tony, your friend pete .
Smoke! hahaha
Thanks for the video. I always learn something. They're always appreciated. ;-)
Wayne White Ha... trust me... it was so near to meltdown I really don't know how I managed to turn it off so quickly... but I'm happy that I did. The EL34's work perfectly too. Thanks for watching...
How often do you change your tubes since not one has ever failed or blown up before this one?
Great video though
Joe Johnson When I first buy an amp if it's new I 'might' keep the tubes in for a few months. But then I'll swap them out. On second user amps I change them after testing the amp for an hour or so. Than what? Well to tell you the truth I change them rarely. My logic is that I don't overstress the amp at breath taking volumes as some guys do so my amps seem quite happy to use tubes for a number of years. It's not true to say I never change them later, but it is measured in years and not months or every year. Maybe it is all down to how hard you use the gear? Fair use or fair abuse?
Actually thinking back to a very long time ago I once bought an amp (it was a Marshall Plexi 100w 1973 and I was probably the 1000th user LOL) and that had EL34 no brands in there and one failed immediately I turned the amp on. That amp had been seriously abused before I got it and the PCB on inspection around the rectifier part of the board was butchered along with lots of other stuff, so in a way I really did not blame the tube. I did not count that a s a tube failure more like an amp failure really.
Thanks for watching.
Thanks so much for the response. Keep up the good work :)
Joe Johnson Thanks Joe...
Did you have the amp Biased after you changed the valves?
As I'm sure you know some valves can draw more current than the others.
+ruscoe lee Of course... I often bias them myself with a Biasmaster from tubeampdoctor.com Thanks for watching.
I changed the two output vales in my old Marshall JTM 60 last year and in the end I had to take to am amp tec in Birmingham. Mind you it is 20 years old. The Amp tec is called Plugd LTD. Musical Electronic Repairs and he charged me £80 pounds for a service, three days later, it was ready for collection. It sounds great and while it's running now, it's as quite as a mouse instead of the buzzing noise it made from brand new. Keep making the vids, they are priceless and chock full of info. All the Best!
The e-mail address is; office@plugd.co.uk and the website, www.plugd.co.uk
+ruscoe lee Thanks for the info and for telling me he is one of the good ones.... I'm sure it will help many in the UK... thanks again.
Hi Tony. I know another way to find out. I was looking at my 410HJS last year, and one of the power tubes arced from bottom up to the top, inside the bottle, and it blew one of the collectors right off. It was spectacular, as my face was only about one foot away at the time.
I have an Orange DIVO OV4 on the amp, and it worked just as it is supposed too by shutting the amp down. If you have any amps that you cherish I highly recommend the unit.
It is also nice because you can mix and match just about any octal tubes, you don't need to buy matched tubes, you don't have to bias the amp, you can go from four tubes down to two with a foot switch and not have to worry because the unit watches over everything. It is quite wonderful. Cheers!
SaintFredrocks Ouch! I'll take a look at the Orange DIVO OV4 (someone else mentioned that before). If I find one at the right price Ill review it :) thanks for the input.
Angus Young uses JJ's.. :P
Ha... But he's a Marshall man and I bet he never used to :) and he's older than me too :) at least I have that one thing to fall back on. Thanks for the info of course and for watching.
Any component can suffer from 'infant mortality' i.e. failing soon after installation, particularly valves, and even more particularly modern valves which are not of the same quality as European and American valves from the 1950s/60s. A vendor can only check that a valve is working, they can't predict the future. It's more than likely that you were just unlucky.
+Silas Fatchett I'm not convinced really. I have bought tubeampdoctor.com tubes (selected, matched and tested) and never had a single tube fail. IMO what a lot of it comes down to is the testing before they are thrown on to the market place. Its not just JJ as you point out, but tubes that have been tested selected and matched appear to work substantially better at least for me. When they 'burn them in' for a day or so that seems to wheedle out the duff stuff. Good points though and thanks for watching.
+tonymckenziecom Rod Elliot at sound.westhost.com trained as an electronic engineer at the back end of the valve era, and has worked as a valve amp repair man. You might find his views on matched valves interesting. From the main index follow Articles/Valves and amplifiers/Valve myths/Matched valves. I'm not trying to start an argument, it's just an FYI.
+Silas Fatchett I do think that each of us (depending on what we find individually) about tubes, brands, matching etc. make some of it subjective. Thanks for the post and I'm sure it will give others an insight in to different views about tubes in general. But I really do believe that from brand new manufactured tubes, if they are selected PROPERLY and matched then burned in to wheedle the duffers that you do in fact have a better chance of getting tubes that won't go belly up in just a few hours of playing... Of curse I'm no 'electronics engineer' but it seems pretty obvious to me that if you get rid of early failures out of a box of say 100 pieces, then what is left stands a better chance of 'getting past' those early stages of failures. I do come from being an engineer but more mechanical and often it seems to me that the problems often end up being actual mechanical failures.. although I could be wrong of course. It's just an opinion. Thanks Silas.
+tonymckenziecom Some TAD are definitely rebranded JJ .
I got TAD rebranded Svetlana EL34 the most expensive ones and great a match set for over 5 years , then some TAD SELECTED STR EL34 recommended for a JCM 800 , they stopped being a match set after 3 months , then JJ EL34 matched from TAD i fried one and blow HT fuse , but i did a stupid thing i turn on the amp without a speaker connected , so i don't blame JJ .......... yet ,
i fried it so much that in the beginning i thought that i had one JJ with a gold logo instead of red lol , well actually the JJ was E34L
+John Sfixton Ouch... that was lucky you got away with it :)... on the Svetlana I really like those myself and never had a single problem with them... just make sure they are the right ones ;-)
I didn't know a bad tube could "disintegrate an amp"? I assumed that like a lightbulb, if a tube goes bad, you just replace it. So what is the best way to prevent this?...Check the tubes for darkening, etc every so often?
I have a Blackstar HT1R 1 watt tube amp. It's 3 years old, but I've only played it about 2 hours total. I decided I'd start using the amp more, and turned it on the other day, only to experience the volume kept fading in and out, until no noise could be heard.
Is this a tube problem? Is this normal for a barely used tube to go that quickly? Do I need to take this to a professional? I can't see spending $150 for service repair on a $250 amp.
Any help would be appreciated. If anyone can recommend a good place to find/buy replacement tubes, that would be great. Is the TubeStore any good? Thanks.
A Bad power tube in particular can blow components within your amp depending on what the tubes failure is. If the HT fuse blows check the tubes carefully by replacing one at a time as well as of course replacing the fuse. I have had just one power tube fail. Luckily I was standing right by the amplifier and the tube glowed really bright - I hit the switch before it got to the amp but I was really lucky. It is difficult to diagnose from here... but tubes are guaranteed typically for just 90 days form most companies so unfortunately they can fail early. I would firstly just reseat the tubes with the amp turned off as I have seen strange stuff before too. then power the amp (with a cab on of course) and look if they all have a low glow. Anything with a bright glow is likely out of it. Then change tubes one at a time for a known good one and see if the problem is fixed. If it is not, then get it checked. Thanks for watching and I hope it helps.
Hey Tony. I ordered a JJ ECC82 / 12AU7 and a Mullard 12AX7 / ECC83 last night. Now I'm wondering if I'm in over my head. I was going to follow an instructional in a forum and it seemed pretty straight forward... (unplug, wait a few minutes, avoid touching tubes, and replace).
I wasn't aware the need to replace a fuse. I have a multi-meter. Can I just check the fuse? Glad you mentioned that. I was trying to avoid the cost of a technician, but it looks like I may need to. You mentioned to "power the amp... with a cab on of course". I don't have a separate cab... just the amp. Could you elaborate further please?
I'm obviously a newbie when it comes to this stuff. Can you maybe point to a good resource for leaning how to maintain valve amps... something that is easy to understand? I can't seem to find much out there. Thanks.
You misunderstand me. Only replace the fuse if it is blown.... T
My bad. Thanks for your help Tony. I've been watching UA-cam videos to try to learn more. I like the challenge... just like repairing my own guitar.
When he said, "with its cab on", he meant "with its speaker(s) connected". If you have a combo amp, that's taken care of.
Hi Tony ,i really like your videos and its all true and very informative ,all your videos are up to good or i can say to good knowledge from a man that is in amps,guitars etc,welldone ,keep it up :-)
Thank you Francois... appreciated... and thank you for watching.
Hi mate, have you ever made a video about the impact of constant use of an attenuator on the circuitry of an amp? Cheers
That's a cool question... no I have not, but I'll bear in mind that idea. I don't know the answer to it (well in parts) but hmmm very good question... Stay safe...
@@tonymckenzieofficial Thanks mate, well when you know or found a case maybe let us know?
Indeed. I am reviewing at least one more attenuation unit over the coming weeks (or months depending on when it comes) and might well consider that as maybe a different video or add that in there. Thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Thanks mate i'm sure a lot will keep an eye on your channel, cheers